The Administration supports House passage of H.R. 1550, which would authorize appropriations for fire prevention activities and related research and emergency services under the Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974, but will seek amendments to:

conform the authorization levels to those recommended in the President's Fiscal Year 2000 Budget; and

strike references to the "Administrator" of the Fire Administration throughout the bill and substitute references to the "Director" of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in order to eliminate confusion and to maintain consistency with existing law.